There are a number of production machines presently utilized in the shrimp processing industry for cutting and deveining shrimp and removing shrimp shells and tails. In a typical operation, shrimp are clamped to various assemblies oh a rotary turret wheel. The assemblies are rotated past various work stations where the clamped shrimp are cut, deveined and the shrimp shell and/or tail is removed. Other operations can be performed on the shrimp, if desired. Equipment employed in shrimp processing operations are illustrated, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,472,858, 3,751,766, 3,159,871 and 3,122,777.
The processing equipment includes means for adjusting various tools that perform particular operations on the shrimp. One operation, for example, involves the cutting of a shrimp along its longitudinal axis. Adjusting means are required to regulate the depth of cut of the cutter blade which cuts the shrimp.
One patent which discloses a shrimp cutter assembly is U.S. Pat. No. 4,472,858 issued Sept. 25, 1984, entitled "Guide and Cutter Depth Control Apparatus." That patent discloses a rotary cutter blade assembly that is fixed relative to a shrimp disposed on a clamp assembly. The cutter blade is adapted to be positioned at different locations to permit selective depths of cuts in the shrimp.
While the cutter blade assembly used to cut shrimp to varying depths disclosed in the '858 patent has been found satisfactory in most instances, there are some occasions where the means for adjusting the cutter blade to a selective depth have not been entirely satisfactory.
Presently, the method for adjusting the cutter blade requires that an individual utilize various tools to provide the depth adjustment. Specifically, a service personnel or machine operator must use a screw driver and wrench to turn a screw means and lock nut to particular positions in order for the cutter blade to be moved from one position to another. The adjustment procedure requires the use of specific tools and it takes a certain amount of time to achieve the desired blade cutting depth.
In various processing applications it is desired to process several styles of shrimp. For example, one may choose to have a "butterfly" style cut as opposed to a "western" style cut. In a western style cut, the shrimp is cut to a deeper depth than in the case of a butterfly cut. It has been found that operators, for any number of reasons, sometimes fail to make the necessary cutter blade adjustment to change over from one style cut to another style cut. As a result, the desired cut for a particular style of shrimp is not made.
It is believed the fact that tools are required to make the necessary cutter depth adjustment causes one to either forget or ignore the blade adjustment simply because they do not have the tools immediately available or the operator does not know how to employ the tools to make the adjustment. As a result, a particular style of shrimp is not cut in the proper manner, whereupon the improperly cut shrimp must be discarded or are sold at a reduced price.
It is believed that there are about three cutting blade depths normally employed for cutting shrimp in approximately ninety percent (90%) of shrimp cutting operations. What is desired is to have a shrimp cutter blade assembly which can be relatively easily adjusted to provide the desired depth of cut for a shrimp rotary cutter blade.
It is further desired that selective adjustment be available without the need for tools; that the adjustment be accomplished in a relatively quick and simple manner; and, that personnel having little mechanical aptitude be able to accomplish the adjustment.
It is also particularly desired that a knife blade adjustment be available on the machines so that machine operators or other personnel will undertake to perform a necessary knife adjustment at the appropriate time in order that the proper style cut of shrimp, e.g., "western," "butterfly," etc., can be achieved.